I shivered with fear, trying to concentrate only on the calm chirping of a spring peeper instead of all my fears. Then, I heard a faint "Pounce! It's Felicia!" I leapt to my feet, tail bristling with excitement and relief. "Felicia!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. I began incessantly meowing loud wails. Then, several pairs of glowing eyes stared at me. I recognized their glints - there were Crackers, Pammy, Isabella, and Felicia! I padded over. Felicia gave me a welcome pat and led me back. "You know I would never forget you, Pounce, right?" She thwacked my nose with her rough, warm tongue. We returned to camp, and roasted scarabs. I settled into bed, where a warm ball of snoring kitten was awaiting me. Whack! I woke up to a loud bang. Already? I groaned, and groped my way out, toting the still asleep Sunny. When I woke up again, it was afternoon, and Crackers and Crumbles were playing tennis with a rock. Sunny was watching, and ducking at repeated intervals to avoid the rock they consistently knocked out of bounds. To avoid smashing my ears, I leapt to the upper chamber and strung together some pieces of birch bark. This journey was growing rather dull, but I decided I needed to have some memoir.
I scribbled some of the major events, such as the wolves and my getting lost, and some other details to pass the time. The next time I looked up, I was in a very different environment. The woods had completely vanished, and I found the caravan facing the back of a house...and a large, black dog. I slammed down the window and shouted a warning to Felicia. With some difficulty, she led us away with a clatter, just as the window opened and a woman stared after us curiously. Now we were on a street, very similar to the one I used to live on. Could we have made one large loop? I popped my head out. I could tell by the first house that we were somewhere different. Then, I caught sight of a large car, coming towards us at full speed. "Felicia! Steer away, and fast!" She spun the steering wheel, just as the car grazed the splintering wood. Perhaps this journey wouldn't be as dull as I thought. I would soon realize that it was far from that - but very dangerous.
I settled to write my accounts of this close encounter. No sooner had I picked up the pen than Sunny pounced on my back. "Swat with me! You said you'd show me how to aim!" "Not now," I said. I needed peace, especially after last night. I began to doze off, imagining a great feast being laid out in our honor at the championships. Rare-cooked mouse, juicy pink fish, centipede pie..I woke up from my dream to the realization that I was starving. I pulled out a fish, and threw pieces down to the others. I trained myself in my mind, thinking over my routine. I was going to be the star performer - and I had been a member of the Flying Felinis for the shortest time. I was not sure if I was ready. I hope so...
I removed the qualification pass from my pack and ran my paw along the edge fringed with gold leaf. It proclaimed, "Certified to the Flying Felinis for Outstanding Performance" in elegant, curled script. For a moment I wondered if we were even capable of placing. This was only our first year in the championships, and we would be competing against thousands of teams and individuals. Surely it is not possible...but at least we can try, and try our best.
We had to place, if not win. I fingered my name in gold and thought of what this meant to Felicia. Acrobatics was her whole life, and she had been aspiring to reach the championships for years. She relied on me, as the star. I could not, and would not disappoint her. I fingered my name written in gold, and carefully slid it into my sack. I brought out a stuffed leaf, and challenged a few cats to a game. Crackers, as always, boasted of her "impeccable aim and graceful swats," and Isabella took routine breaks to tend to her long, sleek white fur. Then, Crackers smacked the ball out the window just as the wagon stopped. "I think you need to work on your impeccable aim, Crackers," I laughed, and trotted out to fetch the ball. Then I noticed that not only was the ball stuck in the ditch, the wheel was stuck as well. "What happened, Pounce?" Felicia called. "The wheel is stuck!" Felicia came darting out of the driver's cab, a look of concern and consternation on her face.
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| I began tugging at the wheel. Everyone came running at the commotion. "1-2-3-PULL!" This was the rallying cry for hours, but still the wheel did not move a centimeter. My paws were blistered and scratched, and burning from friction. The sun rose higher, burning my back to a crisp. What if we had to travel on foot all the way to the ocean? I ran back to fetch the shovel we had thrown in with the sacks. I jumped on the long pole until, finally, it pierced into the rich earth of the lawn where the sinkhole was. At midday, we had dug a narrow trench in the lawn. Felicia tried to roll the wagon out, but still it did not budge. I began gathering logs to prop up the cart. Then, a huge menacing shadow passed over me. I glanced upwards, and my fears were confirmed. There was a large hawk, circling close to the ground. I know it only does that when preparing to dive. Hastily, I scampered to save Sunny. I was too late. Sunny had panicked and ran - the wrong way. That wrong way was straight into the six-foot ditch. |
Will Pounce be able to rescue Sunny? Find out in the next chapter!
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